Chapter 245 – 24. Kaleidoscope (5)
Hot and blazing ambitions are born amidst the indifference of a cold society. Born as an orphan and raised as a bully, Oliver Somerset’s awakening came when the teacher who taught him about family and love passed away miserably.
“When I heard the news that Evan had died after leaving for a duel, I was heartbroken. But it was just there. As a prosecutor, if you lose after a fair match, you should accept any result.”
“Alexandre Dior’s nature is vicious, but he is not so naive as to resort to tricks in a normal duel. Moreover, if it was a fight where there was no such thing as good luck, he wouldn’t have to do it even considering the practical side.”
Oliver, pulling the glass ashtray towards him, nodded. He exhaled a long cloud of smoke thick and hazy like dark clouds covering the night sky, then brushed off the cigarette ash that had burned.
“I agree. In fact, there was nothing wrong with the dueling process. So I also didn’t have much grudge at the time. It was different when I learned how Evan died not long after that.”
It was a weather that looked like it would rain at any moment. The two men, who waited for the faint dawn to come, endured the darkness in their own way.
By becoming mature enough to affirm delusion and fear, or by becoming the embodiment of such an idea.
Oliver was entirely the latter. That doesn’t mean his mental powers are weak, but he is. Instead of feeling guilty, the swordsman who was ranked among the top 10 on the continent chose to become a monster himself. Even so, I only defended my convictions and aspirations, being wary of falling like the people I despised.
‘Edgar! I must avenge myself!’
‘Don’t be reckless, Evan’s fight was a legal duel.’
‘It didn’t happen after that!’
Lost in sad memories, he closed his eyes. The memories of that day, still as vivid as last night, were chewed over and over again. The moment he snarled at the other two right after he was appointed as the new instructor along the line of succession of the gang sword school.
‘Alan! Are you really going to stay quiet like this?’
‘Calm down, Oliver.’
‘How could that be!’
It seemed that the blood was gushing backwards. Feeling the wrath of the past buried deep within his heart, Oliver groaned briefly. In the meantime, the deceased prince, who had been away for a while, suddenly returned from the room with a precious solo drink.
“There’s nothing like this when you’re having a hard time.”
He was considerate of and considerate of the pain of his aides, whom he thought he was always touching.
“Would you like a drink to freshen up?”
Oliver, calmed down by the calm invitation, opened his eyes. The man who went from being the master who would seize the throne overnight to a derelict was still confident in spite of such harsh circumstances. He did not want to let go of the power in his hands, so he was truly noble even among those who committed all sorts of evil deeds.
“Perhaps the majority of people who follow you are inspired by this aspect.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Zorrr, he filled two chilled glasses halfway with the amber-colored liquid.
“I will.”
The alcohol Jacques recommended was strong enough to make your throat burn. Even when looking for such a luxury item, the ostentatious Crown Prince of Gallia seemed to prefer something intense and refreshing. Oliver, who had been immersed in sentimentality because of that, was also able to speak easily.
“… Declaring revenge, I unilaterally decided to go to Gallia despite the opposition of the other two factions.”
Even the body of Evan, who was miserably trampled, could not be properly recovered. The new leader of the strong sword, unable to control his youthful spirit, boarded the ship that way. Deliberately refusing to take the safe route, he entered Lumiere, the capital, after going through the lawless regions of the west.
“After many twists and turns, I visited the Dior mansion. Calling the Millennium Gong’s name, he yelled at me to come out immediately. Unfortunately, he was away and only had a son.”
The young man with a slyly handsome face was a tycoon like a noble figure. He was the second son of a central noble family, and he was a man aiming for the next duke.
Yes, he was Charles Dior.
‘If it’s Evan Somerset’s body, he’ll be resting in the graveyard in the garden here.’
‘How dare you lock the dead in the grave of the murderer and destroy them?’
‘Well, I don’t think it’s a good way either. I have to reply that the fight between my father and Mr. Evan was done legally, and it was the best for us, who had difficulty contacting her hometown.’
The man, who spoke plainly even to the person who aimed a knife at his neck, told me the details of the series of events. It is true that Evan Somerset’s friend died under the supervision of Alexandre Dior, but that is all.
‘It is true that the death of a close friend of Mr. Evan, who passed away, was the catalyst. But as I said before, the duel between my father and your mentor was fair and according to the rules of law. The problem is only what is behind the scenes.’
‘Behind the scenes?’
‘My father is not a man who commits meaningless killings. It is because he is a person who does not defend his arm over the bad reputation of the public, but thoroughly understands and weighs gains and losses. We are not responsible for what happened after defeating Mr. Evan Somerset.’
There is a person who induced a duel between the millennial ball and the master of the steel sword. He was a high-ranking member of the Somerset Swordsmen’s Guild, and he did such a trick because of his second right.
‘I can’t believe it. Why are you telling me that?’
‘… I can’t apologize, but I am. I hope I can help you overcome your suffering in some small way.’
Charles Dior’s confession further fueled Oliver, who was blinded by anger. Subtly, so that people don’t know that it’s a conspiracy to follow their father’s orders.
“I fell for the word that there was someone among Evan’s colleagues who planned the incident. I presented a seal and a letter that only the instructors of our union could write as evidence. At that time, he was still ignorant, so he must have been a guy who thought he was good at swordsmanship.”
“I thought there was a traitor between Edgar Somerset and Alan Somerset, but in reality there was no such thing.”
“Soon I returned home carrying the coffin containing Evan’s body. And as I grew suspicious of the two, I became more and more sensitive. Alan passed away from old age a year later, but Edgar was alive and well, so he monitored every move.”
In the meantime, Simon Somerset, who was a disciple of the Yu-geom faction like himself, was reborn as a new master. And Edgar, who expressed his desire to return to being a swordsman and focus only on his training, left the position to Kenneth, whom he regarded as his son, and withdrew from the front line.
Oliver with the strong sword, Kenneth with the quick sword, and Simon with the free sword.
It was the moment when the final triumvirate of the Somerset Swordsman Guild was born by today’s standards.
“I thought that the reason I gave up my instructor position was to get rid of my doubts because I was afraid my tail would be trampled on. So, after Kenneth was appointed as the new quicksword master, I went to Edgar and asked him to surrender. He said he had no physical evidence, but he wanted the truth to be revealed to comfort Evan’s soul.”
“… How did it go?”
“He readily admitted it. As I said, I will admit all my sins and commit suicide to take responsibility, so even if someone else was involved, I asked him not to be held guilty.”
How could a person who drove a comrade to death display such a sacrificial spirit? Of course, Edgar Somerset was no traitor. The three great masters of the previous era were poor in swordsmanship, but their minds were not.
“I thought he was saying anything to defuse the situation. So he nodded, asking where to go. Edgar immediately drew his sword with a speed I couldn’t even see and cut his own carotid artery.”
Amid the gushing blood, he smiled contentedly. Oliver realized belatedly why he chose to kill himself with a quick sword that would overwhelm his skills at the time.
“He was not a traitor. He was just a teacher who cherished the disciples he taught me. He is like Evan who saved me.”
“… If you were a former disciple, you were definitely the alumnus who put a knife in your back, right?”
“Quick sword and short sword, but Kenneth only did that because he thought I had framed my master and killed him. The one who truly drove Evan to death was a man who had once been her disciple, but changed his school because of my existence.”
The sword, the soft sword, is unbreakable.
However, the tip of the sword that swayed here and there is more vulnerable to delusion.
Simon Somerset did just that.
“Kenneth, like me, was blinded by revenge. Simon made a choice not to be swayed by jealousy and greed. After being mortally wounded and kicked out, the two of them and the elite of the Guild staged a tedious run away across Britannia.”
Every day, the boundary between life and death was narrowly crossed. There was no place I didn’t go in and out to shake off the swordsmen chasing me down to the bottom of my chin. Oliver grew weary, to the point where he felt everything fleeting.
“While I was repeatedly discouraged and collapsed, I suddenly remembered Evan. Rather than die miserably struggling like this, I would rather challenge the strongest of her generation like her and meet her heroic end.”
So, in the end, I decided to accept death as the last wish of facing swords with the man my teacher had challenged.
“I stole a boat and headed to Gaul. Even with a healthy body, we crossed the exhausting water route and the rough land route to the capital. The wound was also a wound, but because I was starving because I didn’t have a penny, I passed out when I reached the estate around Dior’s mansion.”
When he opened his eyes, Oliver was lying on a bed in a crumbling cabin. He found himself covered in wounds from cheap herbs and ointments he didn’t know where they came from.
‘Uh? Mister! Can you come to your senses?’
And he met a boy with a cute face, around 10 years old. There will be no greater mystery in my life than that.
‘Are you okay? I’m hungry? I have something to eat!’
Oliver sighed as he recalled the name of Romuald Dior, a bright and lively boy despite difficult trials.
‘Umm, but right now I only have hard bread. I’ll graze the grass outside and boil it into porridge!’
Funny enough, all I heard from that child was the sad news that Alexandre, the millenarian whom I wanted to challenge, died a while ago.
‘Me? My eldest brother must be very sad because his father died. I kept crying and crying, but I was told to stay here for a while because it was noisy. Still, he said that if the little brother reflects a lot, he will be able to go home.’
Somehow I wasn’t angry or sad. I just thought it was pitiful.
“I was able to meet a guy who gave me a big realization.”
Did he feel a sense of identification with the unfavorable growth environment he had in the past? Or was it simply because he wanted to pay for treating me? It may have been simple sympathy. Anyway, Oliver Somerset taught my kid all about swordsmanship.
The reason is simple.
‘What about you? Are you a wanderer?’
Seeing his shabby appearance, she asked me that, and she replied that she was someone she wanted to die for. It was because there was no purpose in life now that even Alexandre Dior had died.
‘I’m afraid to die. But Aunt Anais did. Aren’t you afraid to look at yourself who gave up?’
But the child who heard the words spat out while nodding his head.
‘That’s why I won’t give up, never!’
Brightly.
‘That’s why I won’t let you die either!’
So dazzling
